When Two Worlds Collide
by Sadistic Tensai
Summary: This is a Shaman King-Inuyasha crossover. What happens when Yoh and his friends find themselves on the other side of the well? They may be ready for the Shaman tournament, but are they ready to face real demons?
1. The Final Preparations

Alright so I just wanted to say a couple things before this gets started. First off I added one of my own characters to this story, second of all, I brought a certain SK character into my story a little earlier then they appear in the show, but I like his character and thought it couldn't hurt to have him around. Ummm, I guess that's it, I hope you enjoy it! :)

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_Clang. Clang-Clang._ Horo Horo rolled over and tried to cover his ears. _Clang. Clang -Clang-CLANG. _He threw his blanket off himself and stood up. Could it actually be possible that they were practicing THIS early in the morning? It was still dark outside, what were they thinking? They had to leave for the second half of the shaman tournament today, why weren't they resting? He headed down the stairs towards the porch. As he walked through the dimly lit kitchen he glanced up at the clock on the wall: 4:45. He let out a small groan and continued towards the front lawn.

As he stepped outside he rubbed his eyes to help them focus, he could faintly see two people fighting. He rubbed his eyes again and walked closer to them. " Hmph. You're up early, I hardly expected to see you till breakfast was ready," a haughty little voice came from the shadows to his right.

" Well maybe I could have slept if it wasn't for all this noise!" Horo Horo shot a glance in the direction of Ren Tao. He was the last person Horo Horo wanted to see this early in the morning, " What are you doing out here this early?"

" If you must know, I came to see Yoh's training. I wanted to get an idea of my competition."

Horo Horo rolled his eyes, " Right, you came to see Yoh…"

Ren jumped to his feet and grabbed his Quan Dao, "Did you want to have a go? You better shut your mouth or I'll make sure that you're far too injured to come with us to the tournament."

" Oh that's what you think! Let's go short pants, I accept your wimpy challenge!"

" Wimpy? Listen you spiky haired monkey, I'm about to wipe the floor with you!"

" News flash short pants, we're outside, there is no floor! HA!"

" THAT'S IT! BASON, SPIRIT FLA-"suddenly an arm wrapped itself around Ren's shoulders.

" Come now Ren, I don't think you really want to fight Horo Horo this early in the morning, do you?" It was Saiyaka Hiwatari. She had come to Tokyo after she had entered the shaman tournament and had been taken in by Yoh and Anna. She was a beautiful young girl of 15, with long flowing red hair, and milky white skin. Her eyes were a soft purple but still they showed the pain and heartache she had met with in her life. She had witnessed her family die when she was only 6; she had spent the following four years in an orphanage until she ran away. After that she had traveled from city to city honing her shaman skills, preparing for the tournament. She would stay with anyone who would take her in for the night, however Yoh felt that not all of those people were as kind to her as he and Anna had been.

Ren jumped, he hadn't seen Saiyaka come up beside him, and in the midst of arguing he hadn't even noticed that she and Yoh had stopped practicing. Ren grabbed Saiyaka's arm and plucked it off his shoulder, " I don't need you telling me what I should and shouldn't be doing."

" It's cool Sai, we weren't serious," Horo Horo gave Saiyaka a goofy smile. Ren opened his mouth to contradict him, but was cut short by a voice from the lawn.

" So which one of you guys am I taking on next?" asked Yoh curiously.

" Why don't you go next Ren? I love watching you and Yoh practice." Saiyaka gave Ren a tiny push towards where Yoh was standing. He glared one last time at Horo Horo then quickly turned away as he reached for his Quan Dao, and headed in Yoh's direction. Saiyaka sat down next to Horo Horo on the stairs. " Are you ready for tomorrow?" she asked, while staring intently at Yoh and Ren.

Horo Horo let out a sigh, " I'm as ready as I'll ever be I guess." He lay back against one of the wooden posts, "You?"

" Pretty much, not too much I can do now. I've made it this far so we'll just have to see how it goes from here on out." She smiled, but her eyes never left the two boys practicing in the yard. Horo Horo closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep.


	2. An Unexpected Detour

Faust smiled at everyone as he walked into the dining room. He headed over to the table and sat down next to Ryu. The table was covered in food of all kinds; Manta had cooked that morning and had clearly made enough food to feed an entire army for a month. Ryu nodded towards him and finished swallowing the overly large mouthful he had before he warned him " Watch your hands Faust, Horo Horo's like a maniac this morning. If you want something to eat, you better get it quick before he finishes everything!"

Over from the far corner of the table Horo Horo spoke up, " Manna, hiss is gate, baa you idint make nuff fo anyone ess," he had clearly not swallowed the food that was nearly hanging out of his mouth before deciding to speak.

" Oh, aha, thanks Horo Horo, it was nothing. The least I can do is give you guys a big healthy breakfast before you head off to the tournament, but uh please try and let the others eat too okay?" Manta smiled and sat down next to Yoh.

After breakfast Ryu and Faust did the dishes while the others got the last of their things ready. Saiyaka grabbed her bag and headed towards Yoh's room. " Yoh, I was wondering if I could ask you a favour." Yoh had been looking out the window but had turned around to face her now, " What would you like?"

" I was wondering if on the way to the airport, we could make a quick stop. My friend told me that she had bought something that she wanted me to take with me to the tournament, but she hasn't been at school for a few days so I was unable to get it. I was hoping, if it wasn't too much trouble, maybe we could stop by her house on the way and I could pick it up."

Yoh walked over towards Saiyaka, patted her on the back, and replied, " No problem Sai, but if we're going to be making a stop we better get going." He was about halfway out the door when he turned around, " I almost forgot! Here." He held out his hand and put a small necklace in the palm of her hand. She looked down at the beautiful silver chain with a small pink gem hanging from the center. Saiyaka glanced up at Yoh with a look of confusion on her face. " Horo Horo got them for us the other day, he got arm bands for us guys but thought you might like it in a necklace instead." He tilted his head to the side and smiled as he stuck out his arm. He was wearing a bracelet of black leather, and in the center was a similar jewel woven into it. Saiyaka put the necklace on and then headed downstairs with Yoh.

The group of six shamans plus Manta (who was coming to see them off), headed towards the airport. They had chosen to walk since they now had to make a stop on their way. It was a brisk fall afternoon, and the leaves crunched on the sidewalk under their feet. Before long they came upon Saiyaka's friends house. They entered the grounds and were met by an older man at the front door. "Kagome? Oh, her mother had to take her to the doctor for her…uh…severe back pain," said the old man.

" My name is Saiyaka, she told me that she had something to give me before I went away, do you happen to know if she left it somewhere?"

" Actually she said it was it on her desk, you may go up and get it if you like."

Saiyaka turned to the boys, " Why don't you guys go relax over on the grass for a bit, I won't be more than five minutes." As Saiyaka headed upstairs the boys walked over to a small patch of grass and sat down. Saiyaka reached Kagome's room at the top of stairs and walked inside. There on her desk lay a small package wrapped in pink paper tied up with a blue ribbon. Saiyaka tore the wrapping paper off to find a green journal. She opened it to the first page, and suddenly a letter dropped out at her feet. She picked up the letter and sat down in Kagome's chair.

_Hey Saiyaka,_

_ I'm sorry I couldn't give this to you in person, but I really hope you like it. I know you're really excited about the tournament, so I thought you might like to have a journal to record all of your adventures in. I know that you're going to do great, and I hope that you come back safe and sound. So be careful, good luck, but most of all just have fun!_

_ Kagome_

_P.S- I thought you might be able to use the ribbon to tie your hair back so you can see your opponents when you're kicking their butts!_

Saiyaka put the letter into her new journal, and wiped the tears from her eyes. She had never really had a REAL friend till she met Kagome. They were in the same class at school and even after the rest of the school thought Saiyaka was weird (mostly because she was often seen talking to her guardian ghost, but to others it just looked like she was talking to herself) Kagome still asked her to hang out. They had been friends for the past few months, but Saiyaka rarely saw her because she was always too sick to be around.

Saiyaka headed out towards the grass where the boys were all sitting, but someone was missing. " Hey guys, where'd Horo Horo take off to?" asked Saiyaka, her voice still a little shaky from having cried only moments before.

" He went for a walk, come on let's go get him, " replied Yoh as he stood up. They all got to their feet and Yoh began to call for him. They couldn't waste anymore time, they had to get to the airport right away. " Hey buddy where are ya? Horo Horo? HOROKEU!"

Suddenly a faint voice was heard coming from the gazebo just a few feet away, it was beckoning them to come inside. The group ran over to it and walked down the stairs to find Horo Horo leaning over a well. " Guys, I don't think this well has any water in it. How weird is that!"

" THIS IS WHAT YOU CALLED US FOR?" cried Ren. His voice echoed so loudly that it startled Trey who lost his balance and fell into the well. The group erupted in laughter, all except Len, who had had quite enough of Horo Horo for one day.

" Come on Horo Horo, let's go buddy," said Yoh as he turned to walk back upstairs. No voice echoed back at him.

" Horo Horo?" Yoh walked over to the well and looked inside. He could see the bottom of the well, but no one was there. "What the?" Yoh began to climb into the well.

" And where do you think you're going?" inquired Ren, who was clearly not amused with Horo Horo's attempt at a joke.

" Look, I'm just going to go down there and get him okay?" replied Yoh. Ryu walked up to the well and peered into it. He watched Yoh swing his legs over the edge and jump into the well. "Oh my god, YOH!" Ryu's cry brought everyone's attention to him.

" Ryu, what is it?" asked Manta nervously.

" He just…just vanished."

" WHAT!?" exclaimed Manta with a look of despair.

Ren, who by now was not at all amused by this ongoing prank stomped over to the well and looked down. "Alright, both of you, this has gone on long enough! In case you've forgotten we have a plane to catch!" Slowly Manta, Saiyaka and Faust gathered around the well, " If you two don't want to come that's fine by me, it just means there's two less people in my way of being the Shaman King!" Ryu grabbed Ren's arm, "And just what do you think you're doing?" Ryu thrust Ren into the well, and with everyone else watching, Ren vanished into thin air.

" See what I mean, they disappear!" cried Ryu proudly.

" WHY DID YOU THROW HIM IN!" screamed Manta in horror. He backed away behind Faust hoping that Ryu wouldn't come after him next.

Saiyaka, who had been quiet up until now, stepped forward towards the well. " We have to go after them."

" TO WHERE?" cried Manta; clearly still very frightened that Ryu may throw him in next.

" I'm not sure, but Yoh, Horo Horo and Ren are our friends. We can't just stand idly by while they are whisked off to god knows where through some stupid well. You can stay behind if you want Manta, but I'm going after them." Saiyaka put one her legs over the ledge and felt a hand grab onto her shoulder. She looked back to see Faust smiling at her.

" You are most right Saiyaka, we need to rescue our friends, wherever they may be. That is why Eliza and I will accompany you."

" I am never one to leave friends in danger so I'm coming to!" said Ryu as he plunged head first into the well.

Saiyaka turned back to look at Manta, his eyes showed clearly the fear that was in his heart. " You don't have to come Manta, it's okay." Manta didn't say a word. He turned his gaze away from Saiyaka and focused intently on the ground in front of him. Faust grabbed Saiyaka's hand and they thrust themselves off the edge of the well vanishing before they hit the ground.

Manta stood still, head down, eyes fixated on the ground in front of him. He knew he wasn't the bravest person, and he didn't have a guardian ghost to protect him like all the others did. He also knew deep in his heart that he couldn't just leave his friends, wherever it is that they were. He clenched his fists, took a deep breath and walked over to the well. " I know I'm going to regret this in about 5 minutes."

Manta climbed onto the edge and jumped into the well after his friends.


	3. Mistaken Identities

Manta crawled out of the well to find the rest of the group standing around taking in the view. All around them were trees and grass as far as the eye could see. There were no houses, no streets, no cars and no other people. "So, um, have any of you guys figured out where we are yet?" Manta inquired.

" Manta? Awesome you came too! Well now that we're all here maybe we should start walking!" answered Yoh in excitement.

" Walking? And exactly where is it that you think we'll be walking to?" snapped Ren.

Ryu walked up to Yoh and put his hand on his shoulder, " Never mind short pants Yoh, I agree with you. Lets head towards the town this way."

" There's a town over there? Does this mean you know where we are?" asked Horo Horo excitedly.

" I have no clue where we are, but if we keep walking this way we have to come across something eventually!" Ryu turned to see the rest of the group staring at him with mixed looks of frustration and anger on their faces.

Right then Yoh spoke up, " Ryu's right, standing around here is going to get us nowhere, we might as well see what this place has to offer. Besides, once we find someone else, they can let us know where we are."

So everyone headed off into the woods in search of someone who could tell them where they were. They had sent their spirits on ahead of them to see if they could find a village or people or anything. The group was so enchanted by the beauty of the forest that it took them a few moments to hear the muffled sound of a growl in the distance. Suddenly the ground began to tremble underneath their feet. Horo Horo turned to face the direction of the sound. By now it had become clear that something was coming towards them, and it was coming very fast.

Yoh started to run in the direction of the growl, which was now getting louder and louder. Amidamaru and the rest of the spirits had returned from their search. " Master Yoh, something does not feel right here."

" I completely agree Amidamaru, let's go, Spirit Flame Mode Now! Into the sword!" Amidamaru went from a spirit ball into Yoh's sword, Harusame. Yoh glanced back, he could see everyone else preparing as well, Horo Horo put Kororo into his snowboard, Ren had put Bason into his Quan Dao, Saiyaka had put her spirit Setsuna into the Sword of Nine Blades, Ryu had put Tokagero into his wooden sword and Eliza was staying close to Faust. They were all running fast, and as they ran, they could feel the ground shaking harder and the animal was growling louder and louder. Manta began to fall behind; he just couldn't keep up with everyone.

" Come on Manta," Ryu grabbed him by the back of the shirt while he ran past. Manta let out a rather childish scream.

"Come now Manta, I know you're scared, but this is no time to be screaming like a girl!" Ryu was too busy concentrating on keeping up that he hadn't even noticed that Manta had somehow sprouted a bushy tail.

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"Guys? Ummm, Guys?? WHERE DID EVERBODY GO?!?" Manta started to freak out. He had been running so hard, trying to keep up, but he had tripped and when he got up everyone had disappeared. Without warning a hand grabbed him by the back of the shirt.

" Shippou, let's go! Kagome senses the shard is this way!" Manta was now being dragged behind this tall young man with black hair and a gold staff.


	4. Making New Friends

"Stay behind me Shippou, I may have to use my wind tunnel!" cried the man as he came to a stop in front of a giant beast. The young man dropped Manta on the ground and stepped forward towards the beast. As Manta got up and brushed himself off, he looked up to see that he was far closer to the giant beast then he wanted to be.

" WHAT THE HECK IS THAT THNG?" screamed Manta in horror. Here was something ten times larger then they were, with big teeth and claws, so why weren't they running in the opposite direction? More importantly, Manta couldn't figure out where Yoh and everyone else had gone. Who was this strange person, and why he was calling him by some other name?

Out of the corner of his eye, Manta could see a flash of red run by him. He looked over in its direction and saw another young man running towards the beast with his sword drawn. In a split second the young man had jumped into the air and sliced the beast from head to toe. Manta looked on in shock, who were these crazy people! He then saw a young girl run up and pluck something from the ground where the beast had once stood. When she held it into the air, Manta could see a small jewel shimmer pink in the sunlight.

" Hey Miroku who's this?" a girl's voice came from behind where Manta was standing, "and where did Shippou go?" Manta turned around to see another girl, with a small cat following behind her, walking towards him.

" What are talking about Sango? Shippou's right he-" the young man with black hair had turned around to look at Manta.

" Miroku! You lost Shippou?" cried the other young woman who was now running towards Manta.

" Kagome, I…uh…I thought…I mean, he was running right alongside me…" Miroku stuttered, slightly afraid of the angry Kagome. Manta began to back away slowly now that all these strange people were gathering around him. Then, without warning the young man in red popped up next to the one called Sango. Manta quickly noticed that this man had dog-like ears, and very long fingernails that sort of resembled claws.

" GET ME OUT OF HERE! YOH WHERE ARE YOU?!?" YOH!!!" Manta ran as fast as he could far away from the scary guy in red. Manta soon noticed that although he was still running, he didn't seem to actually be _moving._ He stopped running and looked behind him to find that the dog-eared man with claws was holding him up in the air by the back of his shirt.

" AHHHH! YOH HELP ME! WHERE ARE YOU? HORO HORO? RYU? ANYONE?!?!?" Manta had the sinking feeling that if his friends didn't come quickly, he may end up as this guy's dinner.

" STOP YELLING ALREADY!" the young man shook Manta a couple of times, "Give it a rest, geez!" with that, the man dropped Manta to the ground.

" P-P-Please don't eat me, I just want to find my friends, that's all." pleaded Manta. The young girl called Kagome walked up beside the man in red and bent down in front of Manta.

" You'll have to excuse Inuyasha, he's a little slow with people skills," Kagome smiled at Manta. Manta could feel his cheeks flush pink. This girl was very pretty, her smile was so beautiful, and he was pretty sure that she wouldn't let the dog man eat him. " What's your name?"

" Ma-Manta," he answered nervously.

Miroku leaned in to Sango to whisper in her ear, " Is it just me, or is he wearing clothes like those from Kagome's era?"

She whispered back, " If he's from Kagome's era, how did he get _here_?"

Just then, Kagome stood up and faced the other three. She put her hand on Manta's shoulder. " Guys, this is Manta, he's from my era. He's trying to find his friends who are here also. I figure if we thought he was Shippou, then maybe his friends thought Shippou was him. Let's take him back to Kaede's and get him something to eat before we head off to look for his friends okay? Oh! I almost forgot, Manta, this is Sango, Miroku and this is Inuyasha." Miroku and Sango smiled and waved at Manta. Inuyasha crossed his arms, let out a big huff and looked in the other direction.

" Don't mind him, he's always moody like this," Kagome said with a smile.

" I AM NOT!" screamed Inuyasha. Miroku and Sango nodded in agreement with Kagome. Manta smiled slightly and walked alongside Kagome as the headed towards Kaede's. He made quite certain to stay a considerable distance away from Inuyasha.

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" How weird! All of a sudden everything's gone back to normal. I don't hear anything anymore," said Yoh, slightly confused.

" Damn, I bet someone got to it before we could!" complained Horo Horo. His eyes widened as he noticed what Ryu was holding in his hand. " Where'd you get that?"

" Let's not get mean now, that's no way to talk to Man-AHHHHH!" Ryu had looked down and noticed that Manta had grown ears and a tail and quickly dropped him onto the ground in fear.

" He kinda looks like a fox, don't you think guys?" asked Saiyaka as she walked over towards Shippou. " Don't be afraid, we're not going to hurt you I promise!" Ren let out a frustrated huff. Shippou looked over at him with concern, he was a little afraid of all these strange people standing around him with weapons drawn. Saiyaka leaned in and whispered in Shippou's ear, " He's all talk, you don't have to worry about him." She then smiled at Shippou who finally got up the courage to speak.

" I'm Shippou. I was with my friends chasing a demon with a jewel shard, when suddenly I was being dragged along by this guy," he pointed at Ryu.

" I thought he was Manta, I mean they're about the same size right?" coaxed Ryu.

" Alright Shippou, we'll help you find your friends! But can you do us one favour first?" inquired Yoh.

" I can try," answered Shippou hesitantly.

" Where are we?"

" What?" Shippou wasn't sure where these people had come from but he thought they dressed like the people from Kagome's era.

" We accidentally fell into this well and ended up here," proclaimed Horo Horo.

" We? If it wasn't for you and you're relentless goofing off we wouldn't even be here in the first place so don't drag the rest of us into your stupidity," snapped Ren.

" Stupidity? STUPIDITY? Arghhhh!! I've had enough of you!" Horo Horo lunged towards Ren who countered by raising his Quan Dao. Saiyaka put her arms up and stopped the two of them from making contact; she looked at Horo Horo, then at Ren.

" Cut it out! Both of you!" she turned to look at Shippou who was now looking a little unsure, but almost curious.

" You guys fell down Kagome's well?" he asked.

" You know Kagome?" asked Saiyaka inquisitively, how could this little fox child possibly know Kagome?

" I'll take you guys back to Kaede's, I'm sure that's where everyone else will be!" Shippou popped up onto his feet and started walking in the direction of Kaede's. " Come on, follow me!"

They all exchanged glances and then collectively agreed to follow the little fox boy. As they walked behind the boy, Ryu leaned into Faust and asked, "Did he say they were chasing a _demon_?"

Faust smiled at Ryu and nodded, "Mhmm." They continued to walk with the others, but Ryu kept checking in the woods to keep an eye out for another one of those "demons" that Shippou had spoke about.


	5. Free Food and a Demon

I'd like to thank any and all of you who have read this. Unfortuantely I have a sad feeling that no one is actually reading this. I have been working my butt off on it and am now second guessing whether I should be putting forth all this effort. If you ARE reading this then PLEASE PLEASE review. I'd like to know if someone else will enjoy this as much as I do. Will I give up on it? Not likely...I am very interested on how this will turn out, and I hope someone else is too. :)

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" I'm starving! I hope this Kaede lady has some food at her house," moaned Horo Horo.

" I hope for her sake that she doesn't! Otherwise you're eat her out of house and home!" laughed Yoh. The others found this quite funny as well except for Horo Horo, who was too busy trying to figure out what Yoh had meant.

" This is it! This is Kaede's!" cried Shippou with excitement. As they walked through what looked to be a garden, they came across an older woman. Shippou ran towards the woman and jumped into her arms. He swung his arms around her neck and cried, " Kaede! It's so good to see you! I want you to meet my new friends!"

Shippou introduced everyone to Kaede, and explained that they were looking for someone. After hearing this news, the woman spoke, " I believe the one ye are looking for is residing inside with the others." They walked inside to find Manta enjoying a dinner with his new friends.

" FOOD!" Horo Horo started filling his face. Through a mouthful of food he managed, "A Manna!"

" Hi Horo Horo," Manta smiled slightly.

" Good thing we rushed right over, because we thought you might be in danger or something," said Saiyaka jokingly.

" Saiyaka?" a girl's voice came from the corner of the room.

" Kagome?" Saiyaka ran over and put her arms around Kagome's neck and hugged her, "It's so good to see a familiar face!"

" Oh and what are we?" exclaimed Ryu.

" Oh please, I came with you guys, you don't count." Saiyaka and Kagome continued hugging each other while Manta explained what happened. After he had finished, Ryu looked at Manta and then at Shippou.

" Hey Manta, you're the same height as that fox kid," he turned to look at everyone else, " See! It's not my fault I got the wrong person…or fox person…or whatever…you guy-" Ryu was cut off by a high pitched yelp from where Kagome and Saiyaka were standing. They turned their gaze to see Miroku's hand suggestively rubbing Saiyaka's behind.

" Miroku!" cried Kagome and whacked him on the head with her fist, " You'll have to excuse Miroku he's a bit of a let-"

" My dear Saiyaka," Miroku had stood up and taken Saiyaka's hands in his own, pulling her close to him, " I would be honoured if you would bear me a son."

" WHAT?" Everyone cried, including Saiyaka. They were staring with gaping mouths in shock. Kagome put her head in her hands, and Sango glared at Miroku. Inuyasha got up, walked over to Miroku, grabbed him by the ear, and dragged him to the opposite side of the room.

" I'm sorry Saiyaka, Miroku's like that with every girl. How'd did you all get here?" Kagome asked.

Saiyaka held up the small green journal she had gotten from Kagome's room, " We had stopped at your house on our way to the airport to pick this up, before we knew it, we had fallen through the well in your yard, and ended up here."

" But I don't understand it," Kagome looked at Saiyaka and all her friends, " How were you all able to get through the well?"

" We're not too sure, we were hoping maybe one of you guys could explain it," answered Yoh. Kagome took a moment to think when suddenly she reached out towards Saiyaka's neck. She pulled out the necklace that Horo Horo had gotten for Saiyaka.

" I think I know how you got here," answered Kagome, " but where did you get this?"

Sango, Miroku and Inuyasha were now staring at the jewel hanging around Saiyaka's neck. Horo Horo couldn't understand how the jewelry that he had bought them could possibly bring them somewhere like this. They all sat down and had something to eat while Kagome explained about the jewel, about how she frequently went back and forth from the Feudal Era herself, and about other things such as the demon that they had heard earlier.

" So you were never really sick?" asked Saiyaka.

" No, I'm usually just spending my time here with Inuyasha," replied Kagome. Just then Inuyasha stood up.

" What is it Inuyasha?" asked Kagome.

" Kagome, do you sense a jewel shard?" asked Sango.

Kagome closed her eyes and concentrated, " Yes. There's 1…no there's 2!"

Inuyasha drew his Tetsusaiga and ran outside followed by Miroku and Sango. Kagome turned to face the group still sitting, " Just stay here, it'll be okay." With that she grabbed Shippou in her arms and ran after them.

Yoh stood up, " Come on Amidamaru."

"Yoh! What do you think you're doing?" cried Manta, who was perfectly comfortable letting Inuyasha take care of the demon on his own.

" Come on guys were shamans! We can't just sit here while they get to have all the fun! Amidamaru, Spirit Flame Mode! Into the sword!" There was a quick flash of light as Amidamaru integrated himself into the sword, then Yoh raced outside after the others.

" Wait for me!" cried Ryu, " Tokagero! Spirit Fla-" Ryu's voice trailed off as he ran outside.

" Alright Kororo, let's show them what we've got!" and Horo Horo chased after Ryu to join the others. Manta followed close behind him.

" BASON! SPIRIT FLAME MODE, INTO THE QUAN DAO!" a flash of red light emitted from Ren's Quan Dao, " IF YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST LEAVE ME HERE YOU'RE SERIOUSLY MISTAKEN!" he screamed as he ran after them.

Faust silently rose from where he was seated and calmly walked outside.

" Lady Saiyaka, shall we join the others?" asked Setsuna, her guardian ghost.

Saiyaka unsheathed her sword and smiled at him, " Let's go kick some demon butt."


	6. Slaying Demons, Shaman Style

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, I LOVE YOU ALL!

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Saiyaka was the last one to join the others outside. She stared up at the giant boar-like demon that stood before them. It's enormous body loomed over them; it's giant teeth ready to devour them one by one; it's foot long claws ready to impale the ones that tried to run away. Yoh and his friends found themselves facing something unlike they had ever seen before. It was one thing to face another shaman, but in the shaman fight, a spirit is only as good as it's shaman. This was something completely different.

" Hey Ren, this kind of reminds me of your uncle!" laughed Horo Horo.

Ren clenched his teeth, his left eye gave a bit of a twitch, and without warning, he swung his Quan Dao directly towards Horo Horo. _SMACK._ The Quan Dao connected perfectly with the smile that was dancing on Horo Horo's face knocking him backwards onto the ground.

" Get out of here! You don't know what you're up against!" cried Inuyasha, slightly frustrated with the way these new people were acting.

" Ha! And miss all the fun?" said Yoh excitedly.

" Watch," said Inuyasha, as he ran towards the demon, " AND LEARN!"

Inuyasha had jumped towards the head of the demon, where Kagome had told him the jewel shards were. With one full sweep he had decapitated the demon. Its body shrunk back to its original size as Inuyasha landed ever so gently next to its head. Kagome ran up to collect the jewel shards.

" STAY BACK!" cried Inuyasha. Kagome drew back, slightly startled, she couldn't understand why Inuyasha didn't want her to come any closer. Suddenly, the demon's head exploded into over 100 more demons, which began to rush towards everyone.

" All of you, get back! I'll use my wind tunnel!" said Miroku as he steadied himself, raising his right hand.

" Not a chance! Now it's our turn!" answered Horo Horo as he headed towards the demons. He leapt into the air and cried " MOSOSO KRUPPE!"

" Ice blades," murmured Kagome in awe, as she watched blades of ice appear before her eyes and strike down the demons. She had known that Saiyaka was a shaman, but she had never actually seen what a real shaman could do. Horo Horo's attack took down a significant number of demons, but now they had dispersed from the large group, and were heading towards each of the shaman's, growing closer and closer.

" Amidamaru! HALO BLADE!" Yoh's attack took care of the 15 or so demons that had been heading towards him.

" BASON VORPAL DANCE! ZHONG HUA ZHAN WU!" The demons that were headed at Ren vanished into dust after his attack.

" YAHHHHHH!!" Ryu screamed as he slashed through one demon after another, "HA HA! Keep 'em coming!"

" ELIZA!!" Faust was taking care of his demons one by one like Ryu; Eliza was finding no difficulty in taking them down before they could get any closer.

A small pack of demons were barreling down on Saiyaka, " Setsuna! ANGEL VICTORY SLASH!" The demons exploded into a puff of smoke, Saiyaka's attack had finished off what was left of them. She brushed her hair off her face, and breathed a sigh of relief. She looked up and smiled at the other five shamans who were also looking rather pleased with themselves.

" You guys were awesome!" exclaimed Kagome.

" Where did you learn how to do all that stuff?" questioned Shippou.

Inuyasha, Miroku and Sango continued to stare in awe, as they had done since the shamans had begun fighting.

" It was difficult yes," answered Ryu as he grabbed Kagome's hand, " but I couldn't very well let someone of your beauty be harmed by these horrible demons. Perhaps when this is all over, you will agree to be my Shaman Queen, yes?"

Ryu leaned in for a kiss from Kagome, but his lips met the coldness of a sword. He opened his eyes to see Inuyasha blocking him from Kagome. Inuyasha's glare told Ryu that he better back away quickly or he may end up decapitated like the demon. He turned his gaze towards Sango.

" I have finally found you my love, the one who is meant to be my Shaman Queen!" He ran towards Sango but was stopped short by someone grabbing onto the back of his jacket.

" Come on Casanova, that's enough," said Yoh as he dragged Ryu away from Sango.

" Yoh stop! This is fate, she is the one!"

" Oh please Ryu, they're all," Horo Horo changed his voice to make himself sound like Ryu, and in a dreamy tone added, "_the one_."

As everyone else laughed at Horo Horo's terrible impersonation, Ryu, who had not found it too humorous, launched himself toward Horo Horo with his sword drawn. " You think I'm funny little man? I'll show you funny!"

Inuyasha cocked his head towards Yoh and questioned, " Do you guys always fight like this?"

Yoh smiled and nodded, " Yeah, pretty much."

" Aren't you going to stop them??" asked Inuyasha in shock.

" Nah, they'll tire themselves out eventually." Yoh turned his gaze back towards Ryu and Horo Horo and laughed.

Inuyasha ears gave a quick flick. He glanced up into the sky to see a small pack of insects fly overhead. "Naraku. I knew it," he muttered as he began to chase after them. Everyone else followed suit and started chasing after Inuyasha.

" Hey! Wait a minute, what about a lunch break? Guys I'm starving!" Horo Horo cried as he ran after everyone else.

They ran for what seemed like forever when suddenly they came to a stop in the middle of a large clearing.

" Damn, I lost it," said a frustrated Inuyasha.

" Lost what? Were we looking for something?" questioned Ryu.

" Yes you moron," explained Horo Horo, " We were looking for a lost shoe!"

" NA-RA-KU you moron," snapped Ren, " We were looking for that man named Naraku that Kagome told us about."

" I knew that," Horo Horo replied glaring at Ren.

From up in the trees above, a demon stared down at the large group below. His face turned up in disgust. " I see he has recruited more worthless humans. Humph. Now is not the time but soon, dear brother, soon the Tetsusaiga will be mine."

With that the demon disappeared from the tree, leaving the group below with no knowledge of what lay ahead of them.


	7. Sleeping Under the Stars

I am so happy everyone is enjoying this as much as I am! Thank for all your reviews, YOU GUYS ROCK! (and you also inspire me to keep writing!) I thought I should just leave you guys a quick note to inform you all that I have only seen the first "season" of Shaman King (which was brought to me 4kids and they changed a whole bunch of things, so thanks to everyone who corrected my errors there!) and as for the manga, well I've only been able to get my hands on what Shonen Jump will put out slowly...I mean monthly. So I'm only up to where Silva is warned about Yoh's next opponent Faust. I'm trying my best, and I thank all of you who helped me out instead of flaming me, you guys are so great. So, on to the next chapter! :)

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It was beginning to get dark out so the group decided to set up camp. The cool breeze rolled through the trees ever so gently. Inuyasha and Miroku had made a fire and most of the group had gathered around it. Manta was warming his hands next to the fire when he looked up to find that Yoh was missing. He got up and walked over towards a small cliff just a few feet away from everyone else. Yoh was sitting with Amidamaru looking out at the beautiful view before them.

" Sure is pretty here at night," said Manta quietly.

" Yeah, it sure is. It's so natural, you can see all the stars from here." Yoh replied in awe.

" It is…quite a beautiful sight Master Yoh," commented Amidamaru as he looked out over the vast landscape before them.

" Yoh, can I ask you something?" inquired Manta.

" What's on your mind Manta?"

" You haven't forgotten about the Shaman tournament have you? I mean shouldn't we be trying to find a way back home?"

" You're probably right, but right now, our new friends need our help. Besides, Anna would want me to be practicing right? And what better way to practice then by killing some demons!" Yoh said happily. He lay back against the grass and stared up into the sky. Manta followed Yoh's lead and layback as well staring up into the vastness of the starlit sky above them. Neither said a word after that, they simply took in the beauty that surrounded them.

Kagome and Sango had taken Saiyaka to a nearby hot spring to freshen up. The water was so warm on such a cool night; it was refreshing to feel its warmth ease their aching muscles.

" Lady Saiyaka, we should return to the others before they begin to worry," warned Setsuna. He had been Saiyaka's guardian spirit since she was 10. They had met the night that Saiyaka had run away from the orphanage. She had been sitting alone underneath a large oak tree when suddenly he appeared before her. He was rather tall and thin, with blonde hair that constantly fell over his piercing blue eyes. He was the type of guy that girl's referred to as a "pretty boy", but he was also the type you just couldn't help but fall head over heels in love with. He had been angry that someone had disturbed his resting place that evening, but when he saw the small red haired girl, tears running down her face, scared and alone, he was reminded of his own life. He had only been 19 when four fellow classmates murdered him as he attempted to walk home one evening. He had been at the library studying alone, like always, and still in his school uniform, he walked home through the park like he had always done. Without warning, four of his classmates surrounded him and began to push him around. The four boys had been bored and decided to beat someone up just for the sake of something to do. Setsuna fell to the ground and began to back away from his attackers. Still they kicked him and punched him, he backed up against the tall oak tree and curled into a ball as they continuously beat him. The more he begged them to stop, the harder they hit him. Blood was dripping down into his eyes making it harder for him to see. They had stopped beating him, but he couldn't tell if they were gone, or just waiting for him to try and get up, to begin attacking him again. He lay beneath the oak tree tears rolling down his face intertwining with the blood that was now beginning to cover his clothes and body. He couldn't take the pain anymore; he breathed his last breath, and died alone at the base of the tree. The moment he saw Saiyaka there, laying beneath the oak tree all alone, just like he had done, was the moment he made his choice to be her guardian spirit. He had never left her side since.

" Setsuna, you worry too much! They probably haven't even noticed we're gone!" laughed Saiyaka.

" Umm, if you don't mind me asking Saiyaka, who are you talking to?" questioned Sango.

" My guardian spirit, Setsuna, he's been sitting on the ledge over there next to our clothes ever since we got here. He's sorta been watching out for us," answered Saiyaka.

" WHAT!" screamed Sango and Kagome.

" What? What's wrong?" Saiyaka began to look around frantically.

" A guy has been watching us the whole time?? But we're…" Sango lowered her voice, " _not dressed_."

" It's okay, he's not like your friend Miroku, no offence, Setsuna's more interested in what's going on around us then us being not dressed." Saiyaka replied with a smile. Sango and Kagome laughed awkwardly but still felt a little uneasy about the "man" watching them as they bathed.

" Lady Saiyaka," whispered Setsuna, " I think something is moving in the bushes beyond you."

The girls looked towards the bushes on their left and they could hear the faint rustle of its leaves. Kagome groaned and grabbed a rock from the edge of the hot spring. The flung it towards the bushes.

" What are you doing Kagome?" questioned Saiyaka a little uneasy; she wasn't prepared for a battle at a time like this.

" YEOOW!!" a male voice echoed from the bushes.

" Alright, you've had your show, now get out of here!" yelled an angry Kagome. Miroku stood up followed by Horo Horo and Ryu.

" Oh hello ladies! We didn't even see you there, how's the water? Nice and warm?" asked Miroku with a sly smile.

Horo Horo leaned in towards Miroku, " What are you talking about? You knew they were here, you told us we'd be able to see them from here!" snapped Horo Horo. Miroku slammed his fist down on Horo Horo's head.

" Hello ladies," smiled Ryu as he waved at the three girls.

Miroku sighed heavily; he grabbed Horo Horo and Ryu and dragged them back towards the camp that had been set up.

Sango, Kagome and Saiyaka returned to camp not long after the three boys. By that time Yoh and Manta had seated themselves around the fire as well. They sat around swapping stories for a few hours, the shamans about their qualifying matches and the others about the demons they had defeated. Everyone was starting to feel tired and they decided that it was time to take a rest. With the spirits keeping a careful watch, everyone tried to find a comfortable place to sleep.

Miroku tried to cozy up next to Sango but Kirara made it quite clear that that was not a good idea. He ended up sleeping next to Ryu and Horo Horo. Kagome slept close to Inuyasha, who felt that even though spirits were keeping a watchful eye, he too better sleep lightly and keep guard. Yoh and Manta found themselves a comfortable spot not too far from Ryu and the other boys. Saiyaka walked over to Ren and lay down next to him.

" What do you think you're doing?" he snapped.

" I just thought that…this uh…looked like a comfortable spot, that's all," Saiyaka replied sheepishly. Ren grabbed his Quan Dao and dug a line through the grass between himself and Saiyaka.

He poked her with the end of the Quan Dao, " That's your side. Don't get any ideas and you can stay."

With that he rolled over, turning his back to her. She smiled to herself; she was wearing him down, she thought, little by little.


	8. A Family Affair

Sorry that it took me a few days to get this next chapter up, but I busy working on my Gravitation story. I had to make this chapter shorter then I wanted to, because of one small problem....I won't give it away yet, but I'll need you all to help me out, I'll explain more at the end of this chapter.

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Manta woke up to find everyone already awake and getting ready to head out. Ryu was busy trying to wake Horo Horo who was begging for just five more minutes. After he had begrudgingly woken up, the group headed out. They were traveling to a nearby village where a jewel shard was rumoured to be. They had been walking for what seemed like forever when they finally arrived at the village.

" Do you guys have restaurants here in the feudal era? Because I am starved!" cried Horo Horo.

" You're stomach will have to wait, first, we find the jewel shard," replied Inuyasha.

Kagome led them in the direction of the shard. They ended up standing in front of what looked to be a small barn.

" This is not funny Kagome," snarled Inuyasha.

" I'M NOT JOKING! There's seriously a jewel shard inside, I can feel it," snapped Kagome. _CRASH!_ The small barn exploded as a giant cow demon came charging towards them. Everyone jumped out of the way as the cow demon began to run rampant.

" Kagome! Where's the shard?" cried Inuyasha, as he unsheathed the Tetsusaiga, and prepared himself.

" It's not in the demon, it's…it's still in the shed!"

" WHAT?" Inuyasha had turned his gaze to Kagome when suddenly the demon came rushing towards him. Inuyasha jumped aside just as the demon came barreling down on him.

" Inuyasha! Take Kagome and find the shard, tell me when you've got it, and I'll use my wind tunnel!" Miroku cried.

" And what are we supposed to do hmm? Just stand here and watch? Maybe you'd rather have us go back to the village so we don't get in the way. Well I've got news for you pal…" Ren ranted.

" How about you shut up and stay behind me…on second thought why don't the rest of you stay behind me, Ren you can stand right here in front of my hand and defend me okay?" said Miroku with a smile.

" MIROKU!" cried Sango, " This is no time to be joking around!"

" Who said I was joking?"

The shamans gathered around behind Miroku next to where Sango was standing. Inuyasha and Kagome were busy rummaging through the remains of the barn searching frantically for the jewel shard.

" MIROKU! We've found it!" affirmed Kagome.

" Stand back," Miroku said as he steadied his footing, raised his right arm straight out in front of himself and cried, "WIND TUNNEL!"

The shamans stared in awe as the giant cow demon was sucked into the vortex of Miroku's hand. In a manner of seconds the demon had vanished, along with most of the remains of the barn.

" Did you guys see that? He sucked that cow right into his hand! That was awesome!" Horo Horo was thoroughly pleased with Miroku's "trick", and he spent the next hour or so begging him to show him how to do it.

" So the village was hiding the jewel in the barn. We'll I guess that's as good a spot as any," commented Saiyaka.

" You're right," agreed Kagome, "I mean who would think to look in an old barn right?"

With yet another shard of the sacred jewel in their possession, they traveled onwards in search of more. It grew increasingly dark as they walked on, just as they had done the night before they began to search for a comfortable spot to set up camp. It didn't take long for them to find a small clearing in the forest, not too different from the one they had found the night before.

They all seated themselves around the fire that Miroku had made after Horo Horo failed miserably at it. They had finished eating and were now sitting silently watching the flames dance up high into the sky. The night was so peaceful and serene, and everyone seemed to be lost in their thoughts. With the warmth of the fire surrounding them, the group found themselves getting sleepy. Yoh yawned and stretched his arms up into the air.

" Well guys, I think that's it for me tonight. I am beat!" he said as he lay down on the grass. The rest of the group followed Yoh's lead and they began to lie down for a good nights sleep. Without warning a cold wind washed over the group of travelers. Inuyasha jumped to his feet and put his hand on the handle of his sword.

" We've got trouble," he warned as he turned to face their newest challenger.

Yoh stood up and grabbed his sword, " No rest for the wicked," he said with a laugh.

Out of the shadows of the forest a tall man walked slowly towards the group.

" Sesshomaru. I should have known it was you," snarled Inuyasha as he glared at the man standing before them.

" That's no way to greet me younger…brother…" the man replied in an emotionless voice.

" That's Inuyasha's brother?" questioned Ryu, " Kinda creepy isn't he."

" He's Inuyasha's older brother," replied Kagome, " Except he's a full demon, not a half-demon like Inuyasha. He must be after the Tetsusaiga again, as a demon he can't even touch the sword, but if he's going to try the human arm trick he used before…we could be in for some real trouble."

" Hey Ren, guess you're not the only one with a crazy family," joked Horo Horo.

Ren's eyebrow began to twitch. He swung his Quan Dao and knocked Horo Horo to the ground. Sango helped Horo Horo to his feet and shot Ren a glance, " Now is not the time for us to be fighting amongst ourselves."

The shamans prepared themselves for the fight; they weren't going to let Inuyasha handle this one alone.

" I see you've managed to pick up more worthless humans, tsk. How dishonourable," Sesshomaru muttered.

" Stop yapping already so I can get this over with, I was just about the get some sleep and you being here is starting to piss me off!" Inuyasha cried as he swung the Tetsusaiga with all his strength.

Sesshomaru jumped into the air avoiding the attack, " You won't defeat me that easily Inuyasha." He landed gracefully, raised his right arm out in front of him and pointed a finger at Inuyasha, " Our battle has only just begun." He then turned his gaze to the six shamans who were standing close by, ready to fight, " And I plan on taking you all down…one…by…one."

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Okay so now for my problem: I have only seen two episodes with Sesshomaru and in order to make this battle happen I need to know what his attacks are (no names were given to his attacks in the episodes I saw)...I'm so hopeless, please forgive me!! But I know that all of you are so sweet and will help me out...right...right?!?!? So thanks in advance for all your help!! 


	9. The Fight for Tetsusaiga

A big thanks to Lady Oceana who led me to an incredible site for Sesshomaru's attacks.

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Inuyasha clenched his teeth in anger as he glared at his brother. It was one thing for Sesshomaru to threaten Inuyasha, but he had also threatened the others, and in Inuyasha's eyes, that was unacceptable. He raised the Tetsusaiga over his shoulder and ran towards his brother. He swung his sword and Sesshomaru casually jumped out of the way. A frustrated Inuyasha continuously swung the Tetsusaiga in an attempt to make contact with his brother.

" I've had enough of you tonight," complained an out of breath Inuyasha. " So I'm going to end this now!"

Inuyasha ran towards Sesshomaru again, but this time Sesshomaru stood his ground and raised his right hand into the air. He swung his arm towards Inuyasha and a whip of light lashed out of his hand. The whip caught Inuyasha in the chest and flung him backwards sending the Tetsusaiga flying out of his hand and landing only a few feet away from Sesshomaru.

"Inuyasha!" cried Kagome. " You have to get to the Tetsusaiga before he does!"

Inuyasha tried to get to his feet, but his brother's whip had knocked the wind out of him and made it difficult for him to move too quickly. Kagome ran over to Inuyasha to see if he was alright. Sesshomaru walked towards the sword and reached out to grab it when something caught his attention. He glanced up to see Yoh only a foot or so away from him, running hard with his sword raised into the air.

" Halo blade!" cried Yoh as he swung towards Sesshomaru. The demon jumped out of the way just at the last minute.

" Worthless human. You risk your life to protect this sword. Pitiful."

Sesshomaru swung his hand towards Yoh and the whip extended from his fingertips. Yoh jumped out of the way of the first attack, but Sesshomaru was too quick and before Yoh had even regained his footing Sesshomaru had knocked him back with a second attack.

"YOH!" cried Horo Horo, " Alright pal, I hope you like the cold!"

Horo Horo jumped into the air on his snowboard and grabbing it by the bottom yelled, "Kaukau Priwenpe!" Large chunks of hail flew towards Sesshomaru who responded by jumping into the air and again used his whip on light. It caught Horo Horo's snowboard and flung it sideways leaving Horo Horo to fall helplessly to the ground with a large _thud_.

Ryu ran towards Sesshomaru, " Now it's my turn!"

He swung his sword towards the demon, who responded by gliding out of the way. While Ryu was attempting to protect the sword, Faust positioned himself behind Sesshomaru to catch him off guard. Sesshomaru sensed Faust behind him and turned quickly, grabbing him by the neck. He flung him to the side then turned back to Ryu, he reached out and grabbed Ryu's sword and knocked him backwards with it.

" Stand back!" Miroku cried as he grabbed the beads that protected his wind tunnel. From out the forest, almost on cue, Naraku's insects hovered just close enough for them to be seen stopping Miroku from unleashing his wind tunnel.

" Dammit!" he cried in frustration.

" All of you are pathetic, I'll show you all how its done," said Ren as he launched himself into the air raising his Quan Dao. "VORPAL DANCE! ZHONG HUA ZHAN WU!"

Sesshomaru, still using Ryu's sword, deflected Ren's attack. As Ren landed he stared at the demon lord in shock, how could he have deflected his attack? Before he could think of an answer, Sesshomaru threw Ryu's sword aside and using the human arm that he had taken from a reluctant villager only moments before; he reached out, grasping the Tetsusaiga with the human hand. He drew it from the ground and adjusted it victoriously in his hand. He raised the sword and swung it in the direction of the group. A flash of light emitted from the sword and the force of the attack sent everyone flying.

" This is bad," Kagome said, her voice shaking with fear. " We have to get the sword back!"

Manta stood up and brushed himself off; he looked up to see something of similar stature standing before him. The force of the attack had thrown Manta next to Jaken. " Ha! A little small to fight aren't you?" laughed Jaken.

" What did you say?" asked Manta defensively. He was clearly upset with what Sesshomaru had done to his friends and assumed that this little imp was clearly a partner of the larger demon.

" Master Sesshomaru will defeat all of you now that he has the Tetsusaiga."

" Oh yeah?" cried Manta. He reached down and picked up Jaken's Nintoujou. Normally the heads attached to the end of it would have made Manta a little weary of touching it, but by now he was overcome with too much anger to even notice them. " I'll show you I'm not too short to fight!"

He bashed Jaken over the head with it. Jaken reached up and clutched his head as Manta swung it at him again, and this time, making contact with Jaken's side. He turned and began to run as Manta chased him swinging the Nintoujou hitting Jaken over and over again.

" Get back here! I'm not done with you yet!" Manta cried as he ran.

Saiyaka opened her eyes and winced in pain. Sesshomaru had taken quite a few swings at them and each time they got up, they were flung back down again. She looked over to see Kagome lying next to her.

" If we…can get rid…of that arm…" Saiyaka asked through the pain that was now taking over her whole body. "…he wouldn't be…able to hold…the sword…right?"

Kagome nodded as she slowly sat up to see where Inuyasha was. She watched as Saiyaka got to her feet and steadied her footing. She grasped her sword in her hands and stared down Sesshomaru. She integrated Setsuna into her sword and prepared herself.

" I refuse to let you do this any longer!" she cried.

" Is that so…" Sesshomaru said uncaringly.

" Say good-bye to that arm!"

Saiyaka ran towards Sesshomaru as she raised her sword behind her. Sesshomaru sighed with frustration; he couldn't believe that they would still think that they could possible defeat him. She aimed for his arm as she thrust her sword forward. Sesshomaru casually raised his arm just above where Saiyaka had aimed and watched as the sword barely grazed the underneath of his arm. He locked eyes with her for a moment; she didn't move her sword from where she had missed. In a split second his right hand had grabbed her neck and she could feel a burning sensation coming from his hand.

Saiyaka was beginning to feel ill; Sesshomaru had dug his poison claws into her throat and was now simply waiting for her give in. She looked him in the eyes and, although the poison was taking over her body, she smiled at him.

Everyone else was now getting to their feet and had finally noticed the events occurring before them. They could see the blood dripping down Saiyaka's neck from where Sesshomaru had dug his claws into her throat, beginning to stain her white and gold battle outfit that she was to wear during the shaman tournament.

" Stop it Sesshomaru! It's me you want so leave her alone!" Inuyasha leaned forward to run towards his brother when he found himself being held back. He turned to see Ren holding him back.

" What are you doing? Let me go dammit or he'll kill her!" cried Inuyasha in frustration.

" She knows what she's doing," said Ren stoically as he let go of Inuyasha.

" Just watch. You're about to witness the true power of the Sword of Nine Blades," said Yoh as he turned his gaze from Inuyasha back to Saiyaka and Sesshomaru.

Inuyasha focused his eyes on the pair locked in battle. The stain on Saiyaka's outfit was getting larger and larger with each passing moment.

" Have you finally realized that fighting me is futile you worthless human?" said Sesshomaru with a hint of satisfaction in his voice.

" Fighting's never futile, " said Saiyaka, her voice was weak and shaky from the poison now flowing through her veins. " Especially when you have the upper hand…"

Out of the handle of Saiyaka's sword shot eight more blades forming a circle around the original blade in the center. From where Saiyaka was holding the sword, the top three blades pierced the human arm of Sesshomaru severing it from his body. The arm fell to the ground still clutching the Tetsusaiga. Sesshomaru was filled with anger, he had underestimated Saiyaka and now, thanks to her, he would no longer be able to wield the Tetsusaiga. He dug his claws even deeper into her neck and watched as her body gave in to the poison. Her body hung lifelessly, she had lost of large amount of blood.

Inuyasha, noticing an opportunity, ran and grabbed the Tetsusaiga from the grass. He turned to face Sesshomaru, " Let her go."

" As you wish," he obliged throwing Saiyaka's limp body onto the grass. " Come Jaken, it is time for us to take our leave. I no longer have any purpose here."

Jaken wobbled towards Sesshomaru. He had finally managed to get his Nintoujou back from Manta, but not without a fight. Together they took off to the sky leaving everyone in the clearing below.

Yoh and the rest of the shamans ran over to Saiyaka. She lay there motionless as Yoh leaned down next to her body. He lifted her head up onto his lap, " Saiyaka?"

She didn't reply. Ryu, Horo Horo and Manta wiped tears out of their eyes. Faust clasped his hand to his mouth in shock. Kagome buried her face into Inuyasha's chest, sobbing uncontrollably. Miroku walked up behind Sango and put his arm and her as they watched Yoh try to revive their friend. Shippou grabbed onto Miroku's robe and looked on as tears rolled down his face. Ren stared at Saiyaka's unresponsive body lying in Yoh's arms. His Quan Dao dropped to the ground with a small _thud_. Without a word he walked away from the group and into the forest.

" Saiyaka please wake up. It's over now. Please…" Yoh's tears ran down his face and landed onto her bloodstained outfit. She had sacrificed herself to save the rest of them and had paid the ultimate price for it.


	10. A Pleasant Surprise

First off, I want to apologize to everyone for taking so long to write this next chapter but I've been really busy working on my other stories, and I just started working the night shift at work so I've been sleeping through most the day! Thanks to this story, I have been given an award of sorts. The HAWLUMS award. (The Hated Author Who Loves Mary Sues Award). I don't know what a Mary Sue is (I'd appreciate it if someone could tell me) but I was pretty sure that Saiyaka wasn't one. So here's the next chapter and the next one will be up soon, I promise.

* * *

Faust sat quietly next to Saiyaka's body, as Yoh and Horo Horo worked on digging a place to bury her. They had originally wanted to take them home with her, but Inuyasha had explained how difficult it would be to carry her all the way back. Inuyasha and Miroku were watching over Yoh and Horo Horo as Kagome sat with Sango and Shippou reminiscing about all the fun times she had had with her friend. Ryu and Manta were sitting silently watching the stars sparkle in the sky. Ren, however, still had not returned from his walk in forest.

Faust leaned in and whispered something into Saiyaka's ear. Suddenly he bolted upright and gasped causing everyone to turn and look in his direction. They began to gather around the young girl and watched as she struggled to open her eyes. She slowly turned her head to find all her friends gathered around her staring at her in shock.

" Hi…" she said straining her voice. Smiles of relief danced across everyone's faces as Yoh bent down next to her.

" We thought you were dead," he said as he picked up her hand and held it in his.

" It's going…to take a lot…more than some stupid…demon to kill…me," she said.

Faust helped Saiyaka sit up and began to bandage her wound. Miroku had brought over some food and tried to get Saiyaka to eat some of it. Kagome had gone into the forest to search for some herbs to ease her pain and to help her wound heal faster. Within an hour, Saiyaka was up and walking around, still feeling a little dizzy, but mostly upset that she had worried everyone so much.

" I can't believe she survived that," said Inuyasha as he sat around the fire with Yoh.

" Saiyaka's a tough one. She's struggled her whole life to survive," explained Yoh.

" Guys, have you seen Ren?" asked Saiyaka as she knelt down next to the two.

" He went for a walk in the forest about two hours ago, haven't seen him since," said Yoh.

"I'm going to go look for him, I'll be back," she said, turning to leave.

" Stay here, he'll come back. Don't go wandering off in your condition, we don't need you dying out there," said Inuyasha with a hint of concern in his voice.

Saiyaka waved her hand at Inuyasha," I'll be fine, don't worry about me."

Saiyaka walked into the forest and found that she didn't have to walk very far to find Ren. He was sitting at a small grassy ledge looking out over the valley below. He had been sitting there since he left to group. He sat thinking about all the good times back at Yoh's with Saiyaka. When he had first met her she had been so nice to him, and it had annoyed him. He remembered the night before they had left for the shaman tournament, when he had been watching Yoh and Saiyaka practice. He remembered looking at her, and for the first time, thinking that she was different from other girls. The night that she had slept next to him, he hadn't really minded it all that much. Something inside him though kept him from getting close to her. He didn't like girls, in fact he hated every girl he had ever met, however, something was different about Saiyaka, something that made him want her around.

" Ren?"

Ren jumped, he recognized that voice. He turned to see Saiyaka sitting down next to him on his right. She smiled at him and Ren thought that maybe he was seeing things. She was dead, she couldn't be here with him now, it didn't make any sense.

" What are you…but you're…" he couldn't think of what he wanted to say.

" It's really me," she said, as if she was reading Ren's thoughts. " I'm alright now, Faust and Kagome fixed me up pretty good."

" Should you be wandering around?" Ren asked.

" It's good to see you too…"

" What I meant was, I'm…I'm," Ren turned his head and looked out upon the valley. " I'm glad your okay."

Saiyaka blushed and looked up at the stars, " The whole time I was lying there I was so angry with myself. I really thought I was going to die. And you know something? The worst part about dying was knowing that I never told you…well that I never told you how I feel abo-"

Ren grabbed Saiyaka's milky white face in his hands and kissed her gently. Her eyes widened in shock but soon she closed her eyes and gave in, kissing him back. He drew away from her and stared her in the eyes for a brief moment. Her soft purple eyes glowed with a happiness that Ren had never seen before. He dropped his hands and looked back out onto the valley.

" If you tell anyone about this…" said Ren.

" Don't worry I won't tell anyone," Saiyaka said with a smile.

" Yeah, and we won't tell anyone either!" said a voice from the bushes.

" Shut up Horo Horo!" said another voice.

" Why do all the jerks get the beautiful girls?" came another voice that sounded a little depressed.

" What's that supposed to mean?" yelled another male voice.

Saiyaka and Ren stood up and walked over to the bushes and looked down to find everyone crouched behind them.

" Hey Ren! What are you doing here?" asked Ryu trying to sound casual. Ren jumped over the bushes and started chasing them screaming that he was going to kill them when he caught them.

" So you finally wore him down, and all it took was for you to almost die," said Kagome with a laugh.

" I wouldn't say I wore him down, I mean it'll never happen again," said Saiyaka as she watched Ren continue to chase everyone. " But I wouldn't trade that moment for anything."

Kagome turned around and looked further into the forest, "Inuyasha! A jewel shard!"

Everyone stopped running and stared at Kagome who was now pointing in a direction far away from their camp. They ran back and got their things. Faust felt that it would be better if Saiyaka didn't over exert herself, so he helped her up onto Kirara's back. The cat demon followed the others in search of yet another jewel shard to add the their collection.


End file.
